Bits and Pieces
by lightblue-Nymphadora
Summary: Assorted HP drabbles. Most major ships - some minor ships. T for now, will warn of any M chapters.
1. A Hero Comes Home

_**LbN: As I go back to school, I'm trying to cut down on distractions. Lol, good joke, yeah? But really, I'll probably only have one (possibly two) multi-chapter fics going at any given moment. However, I will still be writing drabbles, and at some point I'll probably have you guys vote on one of the 100 Days fics for me to continue. Anyway, this will be where all Harry Potter drabbles are stored, so I don't clutter my author page :). Happy reading!**_

* * *

No one really knew where Neville had gone. There were rumors, of course, each slightly more insane than the last. A rumor that he'd eloped with a fellow student, and was living off the grid. That he had been kidnapped and killed by fleeing Death Eaters. That he was a Death Eater, and was now in hiding.

Harry tossed the paper onto the kitchen table and shook his head. It had been two years since the Battle for Hogwarts – two years since he'd last seen his friend. For all he knew, Neville might well be dead. But the Prophet was currently running editorials on how The Last Longbottom was living as a pop star in Canada. And that's what he hated these days. No one cared. Oh, the public had been thankful enough to the brave heroes. They'd all kept their nicknames, or gained them. Harry – the Chosen One. Hermione – the Brightest Witch of the Age. Even Ron had got one – the Red Knight. According to Seamus, who now worked for the Prophet, Ginger Knight just hadn't had the dramatic ring they were going for.

The kettle whistled, and Harry trudged around the kitchen, making breakfast for himself and Ginny. The nicknames had felt good. They'd felt appreciated. But that's where it had ended. The danger had passed, and once the trials were over and the terror had ceased, the world had moved on. No one cared about one Hogwarts student who had suddenly vanished two days after the battle. Not unless they could make money off of him.

"No one's searched harder than you."

Harry turned and gave Ginny a small smile. "Maybe. I just wish I knew where he was, that's all. If I could just know that he's ali – that he's safe…."

Ginny strolled over and wrapped her arms around him. "He is. I know it. But maybe we just have to accept that he doesn't want to be found."

Harry gave a shrug at that and kissed her on the forehead. "The Hollyhead robes look great on you," he said, smiling. "Shall I pack this to go?"

"Please and thanks."

Ginny always left before him for practice. Harry was never in any hurry to get to the Auror office, and no one ever told him off for coming in at ten, so he had a leisurely breakfast to himself each day. He wished Ginny good luck as she left, as always, and picked up the paper to read the Quidditch stats. He was just finishing his second cup of tea when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it, Kreacher!" he called. The house elf was helpful as anything, but Harry felt odd having him answer the door. He pulled it open, expecting Ron or George.

Neville was standing there.

Harry gaped.

"I suppose I should have owled first," Neville said, running a hand over his hair. "Could we talk?"


	2. The Perky Mermaid

Seamus lowered his hood and wrung the water out on the step of the pub, washing away a few cigarette butts in the process. He pushed open the door and scanned the cozy, dim room.

"Over here, mate."

He turned to his left and laughed. "I didn't think you'd actually be here."

Ernie Macmillan gestured to the seat across from him. He scooted the pint closer to Seamus. "I'm here most days. How do you like it?"

"It's a nice place. How the hell did you come up the name?"

"The Perky Mermaid? Swapping stories with Dad – told him how Cedric had been terribly discouraged when he met real mermaids after seeing the picture in the prefects' bathroom. Weird little tribute to him, I suppose, but it was the best I could do."

Seamus raised his glass. "To Cedric."

"To Cedric."

The two men sat sipping their beers and staring out into the rain. When the rain had slackened, and the second 143 bus had pulled away from the stop, Seamus looked up at his friend.

"You really want me to help you run this place?"

"I do."

He smiled. "You're on, then."


	3. Besties

_**LbN: For the Teachers' Lounge: Judgment Day Challenge. Prompt was "frenemies".**_

"ENOUGH!"

The call echoed around the pitch, bringing all of the players to a halt. Elia McManus was upset - and when the captain of the newly formed London Lightning was upset, she tended to send people home with interesting bruises. It happens, when your captain is the best Beater in the world.

"What are we doing?" she asked, when everyone had flown into the circle. "Our first real season starts in two weeks, and you're all acting like this is a Quidditch play in primary school. Weasley!"

Ginny had known this was coming, but still flinched. "Captain?"

"What do I have to do to get you to pass the Quaffle to Parkinson? Parkinson, is there a reason you can't get out in the open unless you're in scoring position?" McManus huffed. "O'Hara's not going to always be there to mediate between you two, so I suggest you get yourselves together. Everybody pack it in for the day. Five AM tomorrow - no complaints!"

Ginny flew back down to the turf and stalked off to the locker room, O'Hara and their Keeper, Chase, following behind her.

"You know she's right, yeah?" O'Hara said. "I can't carry both of you."

"I know, mate," Ginny said, wincing as she changed out of her Quidditch robes.

The rest of the team trouped in, Captain McManus coming in last.

"You two," she said, pointing to Pansy and Ginny. "Get in here."

Without looking at each other, they entered what was laughingly called the "coach's office". The Lightning didn't have a "coach", just a faceless group of owners somewhere. That's why it was McManus who smacked both women upside their heads that day.

"Ow!"

"Sit down," Elia said. "Neither of you is an idiot. We're the punching bag of the league - no one even wants to coach us. We're going to have to win every game this season to get even an ounce of respect. Plus, we've got every major news outlet saying an all-girl team can't function - I don't need the two of you proving them right."

"Why do you even care what they say?" Pansy asked.

"It's not just about what they say. It's about whether or not we're better than what they say." She glared at them. "Can you two play together? Seriously - Weasley, are you still pissed about the War?"

"Yeah - because some bitch trying to serve your boyfriend up on a platter to an evil overlord is not something you forget in a hurry," Ginny snapped.

"Get over it Weasley," Pansy said, not looking at her. "I'm betting at least three people from every House were thinking the same thing."

"Okay, I see how things are," Elia said. "You're both benched for the first three games."

"WHAT?" Ginny bellowed.

"Until you two act like teammates, or at least learn how to work together, you're not going on that pitch." The smile she gave them was wholly unpleasant. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go let Andrews and Kellar know they'll be suiting up."

"You can't be serious!" Pansy said.

"Serious as a hippogriff rampage. Better buddy up if you want to see any kind of play time this season."

The two women glared at each other when Elia had gone.

"Right," Ginny said, folding her arms. "Let's get this over with. My favorite color is blue, my favorite food is cottage pie, and I know you like corner shots to the middle hoop, so I'll pass to you when you're open - what?"

Pansy had just snorted with laughter. "Weasley, you're turning out to be as dense as your brother. Captain's not going to put us back in just because I know you favorite color is blue and my favorite kama sutra position is -"

"ARGH! No!"

Pansy grinned. "You heard her - got to buddy up, Weasley."

"Fat chance."

* * *

It took two out of the three games before Ginny and Pansy broke. After watching the team barely squeak out a victory over the Dublin Destroyers, Ginny cornered Pansy as they were leaving the stadium.

"We've got to get our spots back."

Pansy just looked at her for a moment. "Right. You're right. Okay, look - meet me at that new coffee place in Diagon Alley around two tomorrow. We can talk it over."

"Fine." Ginny didn't wait for anything else, but Disapparated back to her apartment.

* * *

Pansy was waiting outside of The Spicy Mug when Ginny arrived. She'd already ordered for both of them, apparently, and was lounging at one of the tables.

"I got you hot chocolate with cinnamon," she said by way of greeting. "That's what you drink, right?"

"Uh...yeah. Thanks," Ginny said, sitting down. "So…"

"I figured we could go over the playbook," Pansy said, pulling it out of her bag. "You know, figure out how we...fit together."

And something about her smile set off alarm bells in Ginny's head. "Why do I get the feeling you're not telling me everything?"

"I think it's a good idea to assume that I'm _never_ telling you everything, Gin."

"What in the actual fu -" Ginny began, but stopped when she saw the flashbulbs going off just a bit away from them. "Are those reporters."

"Mmmmhmmmm," Pansy said as the waiter delivered their scones. "So smile, and act like we're besties, and that I'm full of the most insightful Quidditch analysis in the world."

"You're full of something, alright," Ginny muttered, plastering on a fake smile. "So what? You're using me to rehabilitate your image?"

"Don't be so dramatic, Gin," Pansy said, and then laughed when Ginny gave her a Look. "I'd like to think that we're embarking upon a mutually beneficial relationship in an effort to protect our budding careers. Now hush, and let's study."

"I hate you," Ginny said, still smiling as the paparazzi moved closer.

"It's mutual."

* * *

The cool air bit her face and the wind whipped through her hair, and all Ginny could think was, "Worth it." Worth the fake bonding time, worth the stupid "Mending Fences" article in the Prophet, worth the laughter in the locker room as their teammates teased them. It was all worth it to be back in the air.

"And it's O'Hara with the Quaffle, flanked by Weasley," the commentator called.

Ginny flew under the other Chaser, taking out one of the Arrows' Chasers in the process. She turned from the tackle and shot up to the center of the pitch, just in time to see O'Hara score. She shot back down the pitch after the Arrows' Captain, and was just about to tackle him when she had to roll to avoid a Bludger.

"Go get 'em, Weasley!" McManus shouted, whacking the Bludger toward another player. "I've got you covered!"

Ginny put on a burst of speed. She was too far away to stop Arrows Chaser Kent from shooting, but Chase blocked the shot and threw the Quaffle straight to her. It was automatic at the point - a left-handed catch, and immediately turn to go the other direction. Ginny rolled to avoid another Bludger, but kept a good hold on the Quaffle.

"Weasley's got possession, but Jesser is right behind her. Looks like Jesser is going to go for the tackle, annnnnd - OH!"

Ginny had felt the other Chaser right next to her, and had been ready to roll away, when a blur had come and collided with Jesser on her left. She passed the ball to O'Hara, who scored through the left hoop, and looked back.

The ref was blowing his whistle, bringing the game to a halt, while medi-wizards helped Jesser. Pansy flew over, looking smug.

"See?" she panted. "Mutually beneficial. Couldn't let me bestie get clobbered."

"Are you growing fond of me, Parkinson?" Ginny asked with a grin. "Because I'm well and happily spoken for."

Pansy gave an award-worthy eyeroll and flew back to their side to talk to Chase.

"That's a penalty for Parkinson, and a free shot on goal for Jesser. Apparently it's not a good idea to try and tackle Weasley when Parkinson's around…."

The game only lasted another thirty minutes, ending with the Lightning's Seeker, Andrews, catching the Snitch. That put them at three wins and no losses, and everyone was in a good enough mood to endure the inane questions from reporters.

Ginny was sailing so high that she didn't even care that her loving teammates had decorated her locker with their favorite bits of the "Mending Fences" article. "Very funny, you lot," she said, as half of the team headed for the showers.

"Good game, Weasley," Pansy said.

"You too. You know this changes nothing, right?" Ginny asked, but she was smiling. "I still hate you and everything you stand for?"

"Stood for. And yes. I still think you're a self-righteous twat whose moral compass points 'Potter'. But so what? We win games."

"Damn right."

"Have a good weekend, Weasley," Pansy said in a chipper voice. "Get some rest, eat some good food, suck Potter's dick…." She laughed and jumped away as Ginny tried to hit her with a towel. "See you at practice."

"See you Monday, _bestie_."


	4. For Those of Great Ambition

_"...and then you realized that power was a bauble. Any thug had power._

 _The true prize, was control…. And all control started with self." -Terry Pratchett_

* * *

Albus Severus Potter stood completely still as his parents stared at him. The video game they'd been playing stood paused in the middle of what looked like an epic fight scene. He hoped the annoying Weasley gene of blushing at the drop of a hat was not one that he'd inherited.

"Harry?"

"Yes, love?"

"What did our son say he wanted you to teach him?"

"Occlumency."

"And he's going into third year?"

"That's right, love."

"Oh for Merlin's sake," Albus said, finally. "It's not like I'm asking for tips on how to -"

"Stop!" Ginny said, as Harry tried not to laugh. "I don't want to know where that was going."

"Why do you want to learn Occlumency, Al?" Harry asked, sniggering.

"I've heard it's great for studying," Albus lied expertly. "I'm two away from being top of the class, but I need an edge."

"Are you positive they didn't switch my and Hermione's kids in hospital?" Ginny fake-whispered.

"Look at him," Harry said, grinning. "He's all Potter."

"I don't know why I talk to you," Albus groaned.

His parents laughed, but Harry got control of himself enough to shake his head and say,

"We'll get you a tutor for the summer. As Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron will tell you, my adventures in Occlumency were a train wreck. But I don't want you stressed - you're only a third year and you're doing wonderfully. This is tough magic."

"I know. I'll be careful," Albus said brightly, before running back upstairs.

The parents watched him go, and then looked at each other. Ginny counted under her breath for a moment, before calling softly into the next room.

"Lily, you can stop hiding now. We know you're there."

The second Slytherin in the family appeared in the sitting room a moment later, looking bashful. Harry and Ginny didn't believe it for a moment.

"You heard all of that?" Harry asked.

"Yes, Dad."

"Care to fill us in on the parts we're missing?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know what you mean."

Both parents gave her a Look.

Lily sighed. It had been lovely to be the one who knew everything about everybody, until her parents found out. "Some stuff happened the last few weeks of term," she said, sitting down and commandeering Harry's controller. She restarted the game.

"Would it have anything to do with why he hasn't gotten any letter from Scorpius this summer, or why James came home with bruises on his knuckles?"

"Yep. But I don't know everything that happened, and I didn't tell you any of this…."

* * *

Albus had reckoned it would take his dad a few days, maybe a few weeks, to find him a tutor. As it turned out, the lessons had started two days later. And that was how it went for the summer - three days a week with Mr. Ignatio Crane. By the end of July, Albus couldn't fully push him out of his mind, but he could clear his mind.

As they rolled into the second week of August, he was having some success, but hadn't progressed too much further. That irked him, and he was leaving the sessions with headaches. He stumbled down the steps after his Monday lesson, and bumped into his dad.

"Whoa there," Harry said, catching him. "What is it?"

"I've a headache," Albus grumbled. "Need chocolate, Teddy said so."

Harry's face went funny for a second, but then he smiled and hugged his son. Teddy was so much like his parents sometimes, it actually hurt. "Let's get you some chocolate, then."

They stopped at the Boots on the corner, and Harry bought enough chocolate to last Albus the rest of the summer. He stopped Albus from turning toward home when they left the store. He smiled at his son's expression and shrugged.

"It's nice out. Let's walk."

There was a park just up the road. As they ambled along the gravel path, Albus couldn't shake the feeling that his dad was waiting on something. He cleared his mind as much as he could, but he was nervous. The last time Harry had decided they needed to go on a little stroll had been right when he came back from his first year at Hogwarts. He'd been given The Talk, and he was still slightly traumatized.

"Are you going to tell me?" Harry asked when they were about halfway round the park.

"I figured Lily or James already had."

Harry smiled and threw an arm around Albus's shoulders. "James will keep your secrets to the death, and Lily always tells us just enough to get us off of her back, while keeping the important bits in case she needs leverage later. Al," Harry said, stopping and turning to his son. "You can tell me anything."

Albus shuffled forward so that he was resting against Harry's shoulder. "I'm so tired," he said, and his father could hear his voice breaking.

"Come on," Harry said, hugging him. "Start from the beginning."

Albus sniffled and wiped his eyes as they continued to walk. "Sixth years have projects they can do to prepare for NEWTs. There's loads of stuff to choose from, and you have to get it approved, but you can basically do a project on anything. A few of the Ravenclaws picked Legilimency…."

"Let me guess – Jones and Clabourne were two of the few?"

Albus nodded. There was no need to lie – the two had been tormenting him since he'd gotten to Hogwarts. There would be no way out of telling his dad, and in a way, it was a relief. "It was a bit before exams. I was studying in the library – waiting on…waiting on Scorpius."

* * *

 _"Potter."_

 _"Leave me alone, Jones," Albus said, not looking up from his book. "I'm not in the mood."_

 _"But we need to study too."_

 _Albus felt a strong set of arms pull him back against his chair. He looked up into the incredibly handsome, but equally evil, face of Connolly Clabourne. He tried to struggle free, but Clabourne was a Beater for Ravenclaw, and ridiculously strong. "What are you doing?" he asked, panic rising as Aaron Jones pulled out his wand._

 _"Hold him still, mate," Jones said. "I don't want to hit you."_

 _Albus looked up just in time to see Jones whisper something, and feel the spell hit him. It was odd, the memories it pulled up. They were fast – just flashes – and chaotic. Christmas with his family, studying with James, arguing with Lily, Scorpius…. He shook his head violently, and felt the absence of…something. He'd been let go, and Jones and Clabourne were laughing and high-fiving._

 _"Thanks, Potter," Jones said. "Don't worry. I'll get better."_

* * *

Harry stared at his son in horror.

"Every day," Albus said. "For two weeks. I couldn't sleep. I was afraid of what they'd find out if they got better. And…they did get better. Both of them. They could pick out specific memories. And I couldn't…I couldn't do anything about it, you know? It would be my word against theirs…."

"No, Albus! Uncle Neville would have believed you - or Headmistress LaCroix could've given you Veritaserum so she knew you were telling the truth! Or used a Pensieve. You have to tell someone!"

"I told James," Albus whispered. "After it happened the last time."

"I'm terrified to ask, but I have to know. What happened the last time?"

* * *

 _Albus looked at the pair, pleading with his eyes. He'd known as soon as they'd seen that memory. His Slytherin nature wouldn't allow him to dismiss the idea that they'd tell someone. But he hadn't thought they'd tell_ everyone _. It had been a tiny memory – just him doodling a name in a notebook. But that was enough._

 _"What's wrong, Potter? Does Malfoy not know you're keen on him?" Jones called. "I'm sure the two of you would make a lovely couple."_

 _Albus could feel everyone's eyes on him. He turned and dashed down the stairs. He was halfway to the dungeons before someone grabbed him. "Let go!" he shouted._

 _"Calm down!" James said. "Calm down, it's just me!"_

 _Albus turned to his brother. "Did…did you hear?"_

 _"That you fancy Scorpius Malfoy? Yeah, but it's not like that's new information."_

 _"Wait, what?"_

 _"I read your diary when we're home," James said dismissively. "But how did those two prats find out?"_

 _"I don't know," Albus said, far too quickly._

 _James grunted. "I can't beat it out of you, since we're not home, but I_ can _write to Mum and Dad."_

 _"No! Please, don't. I can handle this."_

 _"Handle what?"_

 _Albus hesitated for a moment, and then told his brother about the past two weeks._

 _James stared at him for a moment. "I get it. Well, go get some sleep before everyone gets back to the dorm. Have you been able to study for exams?"_

 _Albus shook his head._

 _"Meet me in the library after dinner. I'll help you." With that, James stalked off back up the stairs._

* * *

"Found out later that he'd given both of them a pummeling," Albus finished. "I just... I figured no one would care. It was kid stuff, what they told."

They were walking back now, in the dwindling daylight. Harry ran a hand through his hair and made a noise somewhere between a grunt and a sob. "You're meeting with LaCroix first thing when you go back. I'm writing to her tonight. And I'm requesting a meeting with their parents. I…" he stopped, fuming. "Do you like the Occlumency lessons?"

"Yes," Albus said after a moment. "And I think I could be good at it, if I keep practicing."

"Then you can stick with Crane during the holidays. What about Scorpius?"

"What about him?"

"He was in the hallway with you. What did he say? Are you two…?"

"No," Albus said. "He hasn't…we haven't talked since then. I haven't really… I've been avoiding him."

"Write to him. He might just think you're upset. He might be giving you space."

Albus gave his dad a weak smile as they headed home.

* * *

The train rumbled its way to Hogwarts in the pouring rain. Albus sat by himself in a compartment, which was a blessing. He was lucky that no one seemed to remember what had taken place last year.

"Hey."

He looked up to spot Scorpius in the doorway. "Hey."

Scorpius sidled in and sat across from him. "I got your letter."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Scorpius said, smiling. "I couldn't write back – Grandfather wanted to bond."

Albus sniggered. "So…."

"So?" Scorpius repeated with a grin.

Albus was about to speak when the compartment door opened, and Jones and Clabourne stepped inside.

Scorpius was up in an instant, standing in front of Albus with his wand out. "Go away and leave him alone."

"Aw, your boyfriend's all protective," Clabourne said.

"It's okay, S," Albus said. "Go hang with James while I talk to them."

Scorpius looked at him like he was crazy, but saw his smile and relaxed. "You sure?"

"Yeah. Go on, then."

With a true Malfoy sneer at the two Ravenclaws, Scorpius pushed past them to the hall of the train.

"I'm done being your science project," Albus said.

"Our what?" Jones asked.

Albus rolled his eyes. "Leave me alone this year. You already got beat up by a third year once."

"Not our fault your brother is freakishly big. Sure he's not Hagrid's kid instead?"

Albus saw Jones raise his wand. He relaxed, and cleared his mind. He could feel…something, just on the edge of his consciousness. But it wasn't the invasive, sickening feeling from before. It was like a persistant knocking at a locked door. One that would stay locked until the knocking stopped, which it did after a long moment.

"What the hell, Potter?" Clabourne asked.

Albus smiled.

"That's fine," Jones said. "We'll just go find Scorpius instead."

The Slytherin's voice was flat calm, and rather cheerful when it emerged. "You touch Scorpius - literally, figuratively, or magically speaking - and I'll make sure you look worse than when James got through with you."

With a few more mumbled threats and dirty looks, the two older boys retreated back to the hall.

Feeling better than he had in months, Albus also left the compartment, and wandered off to find his siblings and Scorpius.

He'd won, and he was quite looking forward to his meeting with the Headmistress the next day.

 _ **FIN**_

 _ **LbN: Thanks for reading! Written for the Teachers' Lounge: Judgment Day challenge, round 2.**_


	5. On My Heart Just Like a Tattoo

Teddy raced through the familiar halls of the Ministry. He (usually) tried not to take advantage of his… status at the Ministry. Mom and Dad were famous in the years following the war, and then of course he had his uncles Harry and Ron, and Aunts Hermione and Ginny. He'd more or less grown up in these halls, and everyone knew him. This was lucky, because otherwise he'd probably have a trail of Magical Law Enforcement chasing after him at the moment.

"Teddy?" Kingsley asked when the seventeen year old skidded into his office. "Is everything okay?"

"Sure...fine," Teddy panted, hair flying through colors. "I was doing a summer project for Oswald - you know, our new head of House since Professor Sprout retired?"

"Yes…" Kingsley said, interested in where this was going.

"I was cleaning out the old detention records, and I found one of my dad's, and I wanted something with my mom's handwriting too. I know for a fact she's in there, from some of the stories Professor Sprout told me, but they're sorted by infraction, so I thought it might be quicker if I just came in and saw if you lot still had her Auror training records on file."

Kingsley's kind smile never wavered from his face as he stared at the boy he'd watched grow up. Teddy had said all of that in one explosive breath, but Kingsley had been around the Weasley's and the Potter's enough times to be able to decipher the boy's excited speech. He scribbled something on a Ministry notecard, and held it out for Teddy to take. "Take this down to Ezra in Records. He'll help you. And if you have any chocolate on you, and I know you do, make sure you share with him."

"Thanks!" Teddy said, and he was off again.

Kingsley shook his head, and went back to his paperwork.

* * *

"Another one, young man?"

Teddy grinned sheepishly, and took a step behind Victoire. "Save me?"

Victoire laughed and moved around the table to stand next to Ginny. "Not a chance. I told you she'd find out."

"Of course I found out," Molly said sternly. "Another tattoo, Teddy?"

"It was important this time," Teddy insisted.

"Unlike the one of that flat world on top of elephants on top of a turtle," Bill chimed in, trying not to laugh.

"Discworld is amazing, okay?" Teddy said. "No regrets!"

"What did you get this time, Teddy?" Harry asked as he and Ron set the table.

Smiling as if all his Christmases had come at once, Teddy rolled up his left sleeve to show them his forearm. There, in blue ink and color changing ink, were his parents' signatures.

Harry smiled, nodded, and went back to setting the table.

Bill ruffled Teddy's hair and wandered back into the living room.

Molly just kissed Teddy on the cheek. "Come help me with dishes, love."


	6. Countdown (Harry x Ginny)

Harry fidgeted all through the charity dinner. He looked over at Ginny, who was clearly hating every minute of this as well, and took her hand. She flashed him a pained smile.

"I could probably manage to throw up," she whispered. "We could make a clean getaway."

"Behave, Mrs. Potter," he said. "How'd we get talked into this, anyway?"

"You're Harry bloody Potter, and you can't say no. And they promised me Quidditch tickets."

"And now we're going to count down!" the Master of Ceremonies announced. "Everyone raise your glass!"

"One toast, and we're getting the hell out of here," Harry whispered.

"Ten! Nine! Eight!"

"Are we going to play Quidditch star and cheerleader?"

"Seven! Six! Five!"

"Dunno," Harry whispered. "Do I get to be the Quidditch star this time around?"

"Four! Three! Two!"

"In your dreams, Potter," Ginny said, and pulled him into a kiss as the crowd shouted,

"One!"


	7. Safe House (GinnyxTonks)

Ginny looked at the ashes of the fire, and sighed. "How long do we have to stay here?"

Tonks sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Another week, week and a half. Until your admirer goes away."

"Since when are Quidditch stalkers a thing?" Ginny grumbled.

"Since forever, but definitely since one of the heroes of the second war became the hero of the Chudley Cannons. You okay?"

"Yeah… just shaken up. Didn't know you were such a good flyer," Ginny added, giving Tonks a playful nudge. "You managed to catch me before my friendly neighborhood stalker. Did Magical Law Enforcement mention why this asshole is after me?"

"Could be anything. Random infatuation… someone in hard with the bookies… Psychopath?"

"Thanks, Tonks."

"You asked."

Ginny smiled and kissed her cheek. "One week. And then I have to get out of here."

Tonks hugged her. "Whatever you want - as long as you're safe."


	8. Deck the Halls

_**LbN: Wrote this for CordeliaMcGonagall for a Christmas exchange. Xposted to TLX.**_

Charlie Weasley was a solitary man. He knew it worried his parents, who assumed that being alone meant you were perpetually lonely, but they'd come to accept it. He always showed up on Christmas morning, presents in tow, but Christmas Eve was his. Tomorrow, he'd Floo back to England to be with his family. Tonight, he was enjoying a good book, a steaming mug of chocolate, and complete, lovely, solitude.

Which was why he jumped a little in shock when there was a knock at his door that year. He put down his book and stepped carefully over his dog, Wheezy. He opened the door to see a boy with a leather jacket, bright pink hair, and an even brighter smile standing on the stoop.

"Happy Christmas, Uncle Chuck!" Teddy said. "Passed my Apparition test."

Uncle Chuck - Teddy had taken to calling him that ever since he found out that it had been Tonks's nickname for him. Charlie loved it. He laughed and stood aside so the young man could step into the entryway. "So I see. Scotland to the Netherlands isn't an unreasonably long trip, but I don't think you could've managed it by broom in the… thirty minutes you've been free from school." He led the way into the small living room, and poured Teddy a mug of chocolate while the boy curled up on the couch.

Wheezy jumped into Teddy's lap and resumed his nap.

"To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?" Charlie asked, passing Teddy the mug.

"I'm seventeen now," Teddy said, and grinned as though that explained anything.

"Erm...yes. You are - that's why I don't feel bad about the shot of firewhiskey I added to your drink."

"Cheers. But you promised you'd tell me the Christmas lights fiasco story after I turned seventeen," the boy continued. "You know - about you and my mum getting on McGonagall's bad side."

Charlie flushed bright red, and just barely resisted smacking himself in the face. "I… listen, I…." He broke off, huffing. He'd completely forgotten. And, knowing Teddy, there was no way out of this conversation. The boy looked like he was already enjoying this…. "Fine," Charlie groaned. "But not a word to your grandmother or Nana Weasley, understood?"

"Loud and clear," Teddy said. He lost his grin for a moment, then, and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Wait… I'm not about to learn anything… unseemly, about you and my mother, am I?"

Charlie snorted. "Unseemly? You been babysitting Scorpius again?" he asked. "And no. Are you going to laugh until you're nearly sick? Yes. Am I going to have to put you in therapy after this? Possibly. But I swear on my Merlin Scouts badge collection that your mum and I were only ever friends. Despite what some people in our year might say to the contrary."

Teddy quirked an eyebrow at him at this statement.

"Moving right along," Charlie said, sipping his chocolate. "It was our sixth year, and your mum came round before a Hogsmeade visit, looking a bit...er...flustered."

* * *

"Tonksy!"

"Chuck."

"Uh-oh," Charlie said, grinning. "What's happened? You've got the Look."

"What look?" Tonks asked, hair changing from green to blue.

"The Look. It's the one you get when you're trying to scheme your way out of something."

Tonks huffed and sat down next to where Charlie was weeding Hagrid's pumpkin patch. "Why do you do this anyway?" she asked. "Nice of you, and all, but usually this is what they make first years do for detention."

"If I lurk long enough, he lets me play with the animals."

Tonks nodded. "Sprout caught me out after hours again."

"Bloody hell, mate! Your whole midnight snack thing has got to stop."

"Yeah, well…. Anyway, now I have to decorate the Charms courtyard for the first years' Winter Social."

"That doesn't sound too ba -"

"Without magic."

Charlie flinched. "Oh...sorry. What's the plan, then?"

"Does that mean you're on board for whatever I propose?"

"No, I just want to be able to say I told you so when your plan goes up in flames. Like that greenhouse second year when you -"

"We said we were never going to speak of that again!" Tonks said. "Anyway, I don't have a plan. Just have to go with it, I suppose."

Charlie stood and tossed his gloves into the pail next to him. "Is it time to go down to Hogsmeade yet?"

"People have already started leaving, I think."

"Not to worry, then, Tonksy-Wonksy! Let's walk. We'll think of something cool."

* * *

"Now...I want to get one thing perfectly clear here," Charlie said, taking a sip of his drink. "We really didn't know."

"Know what?" Teddy asked.

Charlie sighed. "You'll understand when I tell you. To this day, McGonagall thinks it was all planned from the start. So back in those days sixth and seventh years could go to the neighboring Muggle village if we dressed in Muggle clothes. So we made our way down to Hogsmeade first, trying to get a plan together. Popped into the old joke shop - Zonko's, it was, before your uncles bought them out - and got a few things of novelty fairy lights. Your mum didn't want to use the boring ones McGonagall had given her. That's when she had the bright idea…."

"What if we decorated with Muggle Christmas things?" Tonks asked as they strolled through the village. "You know how the professors are always on about appreciating Muggle culture and the like. You think she'd like it? I really want to get back in her good graces before term grades are due…."

"Worth a shot," Charlie said, nodding. "We'll have to get going though - it's a twenty minute walk, and I haven't been down there yet."

"Nor have I. Onward, Chuck! We've got shopping to do!"

They walked down the winding path toward the Muggle village, joking about what the next year would bring, and coming up with mock N.E.W.T. questions for each other.

"If faced with a house elf rebellion, what do you do?" Tonks asked.

"Cry?" Charlie responded. "They outnumber us. We're here though," he said, nodding to the village sign they were passing. "Where do you think they keep the Christmas things?"

It took a while, but they found a small grocery store after another few minutes of walking. The Christmas things had been picked over, but they found one neglected box of crackers shoved under a bottom shelf.

"Oi, we can't do anything with just this lot," Tonks said.

"Maybe there's another store we can go to," Charlie suggested.

"Right. We'll get these and go look."

"I'm not hearing anything terribly traumatic at the moment," Teddy commented.

Charlie offered him the biscuit tin. "Oh, you're about to. We got lost. Not terribly lost, mind you, but we hadn't been paying attention when we found the grocer. We needed to find the High Street, but that required us to go down some back streets. And...well…"

"If we find another place with some Muggle Christmas stuff, then we can go back and get some proper crackers," Charlie said.

"Good thinking. It'll be a mostly Muggle Christmas. What's that?"

"The Treasure Chest?" Charlie read. "I don't know. Look - there's a Christmas display. What is this stuff?"

"Let's go in."

The seedy salesman at the front pretended not to see them as they walked over to the Christmas display. The plastic...things there were all very Christmasy, but Tonks and Charlie had no idea what they were playing with. They grabbed two that looked like Christmas trees and a few things that looked a bit like glittery ornaments, and took them up to pay, before heading back to the castle.

* * *

"Why are you blushing already?" Charlie asked, grinning.

"A place called the Treasure Chest? Muggle stuff that you don't know what it is? Let me guess - did it vibrate?"

"Not that we knew of at that point," Charlie said. "So we got back to the castle, and had to decorate right away. The firsties were going to get there just after dinner, but we wanted to have time to eat dinner ourselves. We set up the...er...things, around the courtyard and turned them on because they flashed colored lights."

Teddy had both hands covering his face and was leaned all the way back, causing Wheezy to look up in concern. With one hand still over his eyes, he scratched the dog behind the ears and asked, "Uncle Chuck, had you really never seen… you know?"

"No! And how, may I ask, have you?"

"...this isn't about me. What happened next?"

"It was the covered courtyard, so we decided to hang some of lights around the ceiling and from the chandelier. That's...that's where we ran into trouble."

* * *

"Chuck!"

"What are you doing?"

"I can only get these round half of the chandelier. Climb up the other side and I'll toss them to you."

Charlie scurried up the other side of the ladder, and caught the ball of fairy lights. "Hold on, you've got it all tangled."

"Just use your wand!"

"You said no magic."

"I said _I_ couldn't use magic, just - bollocks!"

Between the two of them moving, the ladder had fallen away, leaving them hanging from the chandelier. The lights were draped off of them, falling into a pile on the ground.

"Just drop," Charlie said.

"You drop first and catch me."

"What? No!"

"Where's your chivalry, Charles?"

"Where's your bravery, Nymphy?"

"Don't know, but when I find it, I'm going to shove it up your aaaARGH!" Tonks yelled as the chandelier dropped a bit. It tilted, and Charlie slid around next to her.

"What in Merlin's name?" came a voice from the entryway.

Sex toys buzzed. Fairy lights twinkled. Charlie and Tonks tried to look anywhere but at Professor McGonagall.

* * *

Teddy's hair was going through every color in the book as he laughed. "Did...did the first years see it?"

"No," Charlie said. "McGonagall cleared everything up before they got there. But she didn't believe us when we said we didn't know they were sex toys. We were in detention for about a month."

"Is that why McGonagall went into retirement halfway through my time at Hogwarts. Was she afraid of a reemergence."

"Probably not of that. Probably more that she didn't want to be the school counselor again if you turned out to be the same brand of womanizer -"

"Wait, what?"

"Oh Merlin…."

"I'm hungry," Teddy said, standing up and stretching. "I'll go get take-away, and when I get back, you're telling me another story."

With a pop, he vanished.

Charlie shook his head, and took their mugs to the kitchen. He normally loved his solitary Christmas Eves, but just this once, he was okay with some company. He grabbed the pan of gingerbread and took it back to the living room to wait for the young metamorphmagus to return.


	9. Name

"...you're mental."

Neville grinned. "You know, somehow I had a feeling that would be your reaction."

"Why would you want to name your kid after me?" Harry asked.

"Didn't say I'd name him Harry James exactly," Neville answered, obviously holding back laughter.

"And he'll be the same year as Albus…. Merlin, mate, can you imagine?"

"Yes - that's why I think it's a good idea. Plus, I don't like the name Hannah has picked."

"What's she want to call him then?"

"Percius."

Harry's face went strange for a moment. Then he glanced into the other room, where Ginny was rocking Albus and a very pregnant Hannah was entertaining James. "Not Harry, though."

"What then?"

"Something majestic. Something regal…."

Which was how, eleven years later, Albus Severus Potter and Arcturus Magellan Longbottom were both Sorted into Slytherin.


	10. Nostalgia (RonxHermione)

The ladder bounced and scraped along the pebbles as Ron dragged it out to the backyard. He knew it was here, somewhere. The Weasley family had long since vacated the Burrow, but the property was still theirs, and they still kept it in good condition. Molly had, however, put her foot down in terms of Arthur's Muggle fixation, and the shed full of bicabrack had stayed behind when they'd left. It was comical, in Ron's opinion, the memory of his father looking like he was being led to the gallows.

"All you have to do is Apparate here on your lunch break, Dad," George had said.

Now, Ron was sorting through the old shed. His dad had assured him that it was in here, but the dank old place seemed like a long forgotten empire. And he'd only cleared through about a quarter of it. There were Christmas decorations, pairs of Muggle glasses, a model of her houses of Parliament….

"Ah ha!" He cried triumphantly, spotting the box in the far corner. He pulled it outside, and with a wave of his wand, sent the rest of the things back into the shed. Hefting the box onto his shoulder, he Disapparated.

* * *

Hermione came home from lunch with the girls that day to find him playing in the sitting room with an army of superhero action figures between him and Hugo.

"Dare I ask?"

"We're bonding!" he said. "Rose is in the study, reading all of the comics."


	11. Post-War

It was raining when the knock came. Ginny had been expecting it, though, because it had happened before.

"Again?" she asked, letting her friend enter the house.

"Again," Luna said quietly. "I hid his wand before I left, but…."

"It's okay, Luna. You can stay here as long as you need to."

"I just wanted to get some sleep. I have to go back in the morning."

"Listen -"

"He's my father," Luna said, looking at Ginny with tired eyes. "He needs me."

"He needs help," Ginny said, wrapping Luna in a hug.

"St. Mungo's already said they wouldn't see him again. He's not taking the potions the Healers prescribed. I don't know what to do."

Ginny pulled out the camp bed and grabbed extra blankets and pillows from the closet. "Sleep. We'll talk in the morning."


	12. Sick Day (GinnyxTonks)

Ginny blushed.

Tonks grinned.

"Shut up."

"I didn't say anything."

"Your hair color says everything," Ginny grumbled, pulling the blanket up a bit. "I wasn't feeling well today."

Tonks glanced around their living room. "So you built a tent with every linen in the house, ordered pizza, and spent the day reading?"

"Yep."

Tonks nodded, and climbed into the tent. She snuggled in next to her wife and said, "Sounds reasonable to me."


	13. Waffles (RonxHermione)

Hermione came in around eight o'clock that night. Work had been stressful lately, but she was looking forward to having the next week off. She smiled fondly at her husband when he jerked awake with a loud snort. "Sorry," she said. "Didn't mean to wake you."

"Don't be silly," Ron said, rising to hug her. "I wasn't asleep."

"No?" Hermione laughed. "That was Hugo's imaginary dog snoring again?"

"Exactly," Ron said. "Poor thing. We should really take him to the vet."

Hermione shook her head as they walked into the kitchen. When she saw what was out on the counter, she _really_ shook her head. "Again, Ronald?"

"It's not what you think," Ron said, grinning at her.

"You didn't feed our children American waffles for the fourth night in a row?"

"The things were waffle-shaped," he said, pulling a plate out of the refrigerator and muttering a reheating spell. "Have a taste."

Hermione looked at the thing. It looked like a sandwich. She took a small bite. And then another. And then another, as she took it from Ron's hands.

"Pulled pork, cheese and tater tot waffles," he explained.

"Normally I hate it when you come back from America with weird ideas about food," Hermione said, sitting down with her dinner. "But this time, you win."


	14. Quiet Hours (HarryxPansy)

The candle had burned low in the quiet hours of the morning. Harry snorted awake, and looked guilty at the slice of pie that had been left next to the binder full of notes he'd been working on. He wasn't sure what time it was exactly, but from the grey light just beginning to seep into the window, sunrise was on its way.

He stood, trying to stretch the cramps out of his muscles, and wandered into the bedroom. The cabin creaked around him as he walked through the silent halls. Privately, he resolved to put work away for the day. It was their anniversary after all. She had picked this spot, miles away from London and the Ministry's demands, so they could have a bit of piece. He felt like a real troll for not spending more time with her.

"Harry?" Came the sleepy voice as he climbed into bed.

"Morning, Pansy," he said, kissing her cheek. "Go back to sleep. I'll make breakfast in a bit."

Pansy, never a morning person, didn't need to be told twice.

Harry smiled and held her close.


	15. Wind and Waiting

Arthur Weasley pulled his coat a little tighter around himself, whistling as he walked through the quiet London street. It was...unusual, for any street in London to fill this still, but it fit the day nicely. The wind had teeth in, as his dear old Gran used to say, but this was his favorite sort of weather.

And these were his favorite sort of days.

St. Mungo's had different branches now, and the Maternity Clinic was bright, cheery, and full of bustle when he walked in.

"Afternoon, Mr. Weasley," the young wizard at the desk said.

Arthur stopped, surprised, but then smiled. "The hair?"

"The hair. Waiting room number five."

"Cheers!"

When he got to the waiting room, it was immediately apparent why the wizard had known who he was. The whole family was already waiting. Hilariously, but expected, Harry was the one pacing. He fell in step with him.

"Want to wait outside?" he asked quietly.

Harry glanced at Ginny, who was holding James. She gave him a smile and a nod, and he followed Arthur out to the sidewalk.

"Now you understand how they felt last year, when it was you and Ginny," Arthur said.

Harry managed a weak smile. "They're my best mates," was all he could say.

Arthur nodded, and sat down with him on the nearest bench.


	16. Liaison

The fax machine had been going off all morning, and Hermione wasn't sure that they weren't doing this to her on purpose. Ever since she'd taken the Ministry's liaison position in the United States' Congress of Magic, she'd been subjected to various pranks. They were a good lot, the Americans, but goodness…. They did like their games.

"Another one for you, Miss Granger!" one of the interns said, bringing her another sheet of paper.

"Thank you Chesnie. Er...Chesnie?"

"Ma'am?"

"Why do you have a paper sword taped to your belt?"

"Lost the weekly intern challenge. I have to duel Mikey from Magical Games and Sports in an hour."

Hermione snickered. "Good luck." She looked down at the paper and rolled her eyes. It was a doodle of Harry and Ron playing Quidditch. From the Office of the Minister for Magic. Kingsley was going to kill them….


	17. Adventurous (TonkxGinny)

Pansy sipped her wine, trying to differentiate between the...models who were currently on stage. It got harder as the night went on. A shadow fell over her, and she smiled up at her bodyguard.

"Yes, Ludvic?"

"Mistress G is here to see you."

"Of course."

She listened as the man stepped into the hall again. The door to her suit shut a second later, and a woman sat down next to her. "Evening, Ginny. Does the lovely Miss Tonks know you're here?"

Ginny smiled and poured herself a glass of wine. "She's down in room three."

"Watching?"

"Probably giving pointers at this stage of the night."

Both women turned their attention to the stage for a long moment.

"I'm surprised you make time to see me," Ginny mused a minute or so later.

"You're my best consumer - I never turn down an opportunity to make some cash."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Anything new in?"

"Kink got you bored, Weasley?"

"Tonks and I have our standbys, but we get adventurous every now and then. As you should well know."

Pansy laughed. "I'll have my men drop off the newest shipment. But if Tonks gets stuck upside down again, I demand pictures."

"In your dreams, Parkinson."


	18. Long Hours (GinnyxTonks)

Ginny turned her head to the side as she read over the new bill. Everyone had expected Hermione to be the politician, but Ginny had taken to the work more than her best friend. Hermione, surprisingly, was good at working with people - being in the right rooms with the right people and saying the right things. But Ginny was all about the behind-the-scenes work.

Tonight was another long night. She'd spent the entire day listening to sermons about the pros and cons of signing this bit of werewolf protection into law, and it was nearing nine o'clock. She was thinking longingly of climbing into her bed as she edited the wording of the law.

"Knock knock."

Ginny smiled up at her wife. "I know I've told you, but I love the fact that you say it, rather than doing it."

"Are you almost done?" Tonks asked as she walked across the cozy office. She took a seat on the corner of Ginny's desk. "Have you eaten?"

"No and no."

"How did I guess?" Tonks said, waving her wand. A small paper bag came zooming into the office. "Good thing I ran home to make you dinner."

"You're perfect," Ginny said. She took the sandwich out of the bag and quirked an eyebrow at Tonks. "Even though you're hellbent on getting me to eat spinach."

"You need iron and things!"

Ginny stood up and hugged Tonks. "Thank you. You don't have to wait up. I know you're tired from training your baby Aurors."

"I came super prepared," Tonks said, and waved her wand again. A second later, there was a blanket, a book, and a steaming mug of tea in the office. Tonks curled up in one of the oversized barrel chairs. "Just let me know when it's time to go."

Ginny stared fondly at her wife for a long moment, before sitting back down to work.


	19. A Little Competition (GinnyxTonks)

Tonks threw two heat pads onto the counter and donned oven mitts. She listened carefully at the sounds coming from the living room, trying not to laugh. Every once in a while, Ginny's and her competitive natures got the best of them. Thus, a challenge had been issued: she had to bake a cake, and Ginny had to learn a song on the guitar. They'd each had a week to perfect their craft, and Tonks was pretty sure she'd won.

A particularly painful F-sharp came through the flat, and floated into the kitchen. A moment later, Ginny followed.

"Clearly I can't play guitar," Ginny said.

"I win!" Tonks said, brandishing the cake slicer.

"Yeah, yeah…. Just serve the pudding."

Tonks gave her a cheeky grin and cut into the cake. Her face fell as the whole thing came apart. Crumbled like a castle under siege.

Ginny sniggered. "You lost."

"We both lost."

"Order pizza - we'll have consolation sex while we wait."


	20. Story Time (GinnyxTonks)

"Princess and the Pea?"

"That one that glamorizes elitism? Hell no."

"Snow White?"

"Are you kidding? I'm your kid's stepmother! We'll have him thinking I'm going to poison him!"

"What about...what about that one about the boy who gets lost in the garden and goes to another world, and has to run from -"

"The Book of Lost Things is NOT a children's book!" Ginny yelped.

"I don't know! I've never had to figure out what to read to Teddy. I used to make up stories" Tonks said, glaring at the wall of books. "You pick - go on then!"

"Moms?" said a tiny voice from the doorway.

"Hi baby," Tonks said, scooping up the three-year-old into her arms. "What should we read tonight?"

"Dragons!" Teddy said.

"No more letting your brother babysit," Tonks said as Ginny followed her with the Children's Dragon Encyclopedia.


	21. Moving On (GinnyxTonks)

Ginny tried to block out the questions from the paparazzi. These memorial services were hard enough without the constant prying. She felt someone grip her wrist, and tensed for a moment before realizing that Tonks was ushering her through the crowd. In another moment, both of them were in the green room with Seamus, Neville, and Luna.

"Another year," Seamus said. "Anyone feel like it gets harder?"

"They want us to keep grieving, mate," Neville said, slapping him on the back. "I have to get back to Hogwarts."

"Yes, Professor," all of them said, small smiles gracing their features for the first time that morning.

"Very funny. Stop by Hogsmeade on Saturday. Hannah and I will let you try the new menu at the Three Broomsticks."

They said their goodbyes, but Ginny didn't leave immediately like the rest. She flung herself into one of the chairs, rubbing her eyes.

"It's still rough, innit?"

"Hey Tonks."

Tonks sat next to her, and smiled. "You still miss him."

"I…." Ginny trailed off, trying to find the words. "I miss him. I'll always miss him. But he died for us - and I… I know he wouldn't want me to be miserable. Not that I am. I just…. I wish people didn't expect me to…." She stopped, feeling horrible for the feelings rushing through her.

Tonks wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "No matter what the press thinks - it's okay to move on. You're right. He would want you to. You two weren't married, and you don't have to play the grieving widow for the public. It's been five years. Get back out there and see what happens."

Ginny snorted. "I'd love to, actually. Know any handsome wizards or gorgeous witches who'd like to date the Late Great Harry Potter's neurotic widow-girlfriend?"

Tonks laughed and hugged her. "Five bucks says I do."

* * *

Ginny didn't think too much about the conversation for the next week. She was training with the Appleby Arrows, and practices and media slots were more than occupying her time. But the following Monday, as she was making breakfast, there was a soft tap at her window. She looked up to see Archimedes, Tonks's owl.

 _Ginny,_ the note said, _remember when you asked if I could set you up with someone (roughly paraphrased)? Well there's this bloke in my department called August Smythe. I know the name sounds like he'll be a douchebag, but he's really amazing. Anyway, he's looking for something casual, and I asked if he'd be up to a double date this weekend. Imogen from the Department of Magical Games and Sports just asked me for drinks, and I'm terrified. Sorry to offer you up as a sacrifice, but you did say you'd like to give dating a shot, and this way we'll have each other to drink with if things go pear-shaped. Let me know if you can go. -T_

Thus it was, that Saturday night, that Ginny found herself making forced small talk with a terribly handsome young Auror, as Tonks tried her damnedest to chat up Imogen from Games and Sports. Neither endeavor was going very well.

"I think I'm going to get us some more drinks," August said.

"I'll help," Imogen told him.

When they were a safe distance away, Tonks smacked herself in the face. "We're not too good at this, are we?"

"Not at all," Ginny groaned. She looked back at their dates. "Though I don't think they're too fussed…."

Tonks glanced over to the bar where August and Imogen seemed to now be having a grand old time - drinks long forgotten. "Well...that's that, then."

Ginny slid over and put her head on Tonks's shoulder. "I vote you and I just marry each other, and forget about this dating business."

Tonks's hair turned bright pink as she laughed.

In the flashing strobe lights of the music lounge, neither witch noticed the flashbulb that went off. So both were surprised the next morning when they opened the Prophet to see themselves cuddled up on page one. The headline read: Widows of the Second War Find Solace in Each Other. The first bit read, "Mousy brown for years, the hair of one Nymphadora Tonks is finally brightening again. Pink - the color of love and happiness - as Ginny Weasley rests her head on her shoulder…."

Ginny stood gaping at the paper, until a hazy wolf floated down next to her.

"At least they don't seem against the idea of us moving on," Tonks's voice said. "Meet you after your practice for coffee?"

Ginny smiled, and sent her Patronus back with, "It's a date."


	22. Surprises (TonksxPansy)

Pansy blinked behind the scarf that was tied over her eyes. "Tonks, where are we going?" she asked.

"One would think," Tonks asked, guiding the younger woman along the path, "that the blindfold meant I didn't want you to know."

"Wipe that grin off your face," Pansy said. She knew her girlfriend. Part of this was definitely meant to be romantic, but part of Tonks always loved messing with her. Pansy couldn't stand surprises.

"You love my surprises," Tonks said, correctly guessing Pansy's train of thought.

Pansy was about to give her a snappy response, when Tonks gently pulled her to a halt. The blindfold was removed, and Pansy stood blinking for a moment. Then she made sense of the scene in front of her.

Tiny candles floated on the surface of the lake. Purple and blue lanterns hung from the trees. Floating toward them was a large, cushioned swing - a bit like a gigantic upside down acorn. As it came closer, Pansy could see that the tent part of it was made of a fine mesh to keep the bugs out.

"This is our home for tonight," Tonks said. "After you."

Pansy smiled and climbed into the floating tent-swing.

Tonks climbed in after her, and it floated them back out over the water. She snuggled up next to Pansy as their comfy treehouse rocked them gently back and forth.

"You've outdone yourself, Nymphadora," Pansy said.

"Why thank you, Pansy Maxine Francesca Alexandria."

"I'll never forgive myself for letting you see my birth certificate. But ignoring that - this is beautiful."

Tonks laughed and kissed her nose. "Well, I can't take too much credit. I do have ulterior motives for all the romance."

"Oh you do?" Pansy asked, grinning and wiggling her eyebrows.

"Not that one - well, that one too. We can get to that later. I have a favor to ask."

"What's that?"

"Will you do me the incredible favor of being my wife?"

Pansy looked down at the ring box that Tonks had just produced from her jacket pocket. It took her a moment to realize that Tonks was beyond serious. Then, she smiled.

"Really?"

"Really," Tonks said.

"Well… alright then," Pansy said, before pulling Tonks into a kiss.

Two minutes later, when they finally broke apart, Tonks slipped the ring on her finger. "Looks good on you, Future Mrs. Tonks."

"You were right, you know," Pansy said. "I did like this surprise."


	23. Perfect Date (GinnyxTonks)

Ginny yawned as she got off the bus. Everyone thought the Quidditch life was all high-speed sports action and glamorous dinners. If only they knew about the grueling practices and the god-awful bus rides. Bus rides, for crying out loud! They were all witches and wizards. They could've been home in their beds right after the game. But no…. Manager Tony was adamant that they debrief as a team - and that meant a six-hour bus trip home overnight. She smiled brightly when she saw who was waiting for her in the London Lightning's terminal.

"Brilliant game, you," Tonks said, pulling her into a hug. "Let's get you home."

"Please and thanks," Ginny said.

Their flat was nearby to the Quidditch training center, so they walked it. At eight in the morning, there were crowds, but no one was paying attention to them. Tonks threw an arm around Ginny's shoulders as they made the three-block walk.

"So tonight's our weekly date night," she said, and then laughed when Ginny groaned. "Don't worry. I figured you'd be too tired to function. I thought up a plan."

"Should I be worried?" Ginny asked with a smile.

"Not at all, for once. You remember when we first started dating? And we were sending each other letters every day?"

"Yeah, I remember." In fact, she still had them in a little hat box in the closet.

"Well, do you remember when I asked you what your perfect date would be? You told me all day cuddling and watching your dad's old Muggle movies. So…."

When they got back to the flat, Ginny's eyes lit up. There, sure enough, was the TV and movie player. But Tonks had gone a step further. She'd hung sheets and fairy lights all over the sitting room, turning it into a fort of sorts. In the middle, there was a bed, and a side table full of snacks.

"You're literally the best," Ginny whispered.

"Don't I know it," Tonks said with a smug smirk. "Drop your gear, grab a shower, and let's snuggle."

Tonks was good enough to let her nap for part of the morning. When she finally woke up, they had lunch and settled down for the first movie. And the second. And third. And slowly, their snack pile began to dwindle.

"Hey," Tonks said, in the middle of one of Audrey Hepburn's more iconic scenes. "Try this. New from Honeyduke's."

Ginny took the oversized Snitch toy from Tonks's hand. "Orange-chocolate Snitch? Sounds good. There's only one - you want to split it?"

"Sure. Open it up."

Ginny did so. But instead of finding candy, she found a ring. Her mouth dropped open, and she looked up at Tonks.

Tonks smiled, a little shyly, and took the ring from the inside of the Snitch. Slipping it onto Ginny's finger, she asked, "Ginevra Weasley, will you marry me?"

Without hesitation, Ginny answered, "Yes."

Onscreen, the movie drew to a close. Neither witch even noticed.


	24. Measure a Year (PansyxGinny)

October

The two stood in silence in front of their frustrated professor. Headmistress McGonagall was pinching the bridge of her nose. The representatives from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw had already been dismissed - their Houses were already cooperating.

"I know these things take time," McGonagall said, strained. "But you two need to come up with an idea to expedite this process. A project that would show the school that a Gryffindor and a Slytherin can work together is now your task."

"What, specifically, would you like us to do, Professor?" Pansy asked, clearly perplexed. "Just because I've stopped trying to jinx Weasley in the hallways, doesn't mean we can magically make everyone get along."

"Figure something out. What can we do? There must be something this school needs that the two of you could spearhead."

"We need a gay-straight alliance," Ginny said sarcastically.

"Miss Weasley -" McGonagall began.

"Okay," Pansy said, shrugging.

Ginny and McGonagall turned to her in surprise.

"I'm in. You're right, we need one."

The silence rang through the office for a long moment. Finally, McGonagall nodded. "If you two see it as a need… and I can't say that some students would… in any case, put together a plan for the idea, and I'll have a look at it next week. In the meantime, try to stop your classmates from being at each others' throats."

* * *

November

"Are we finished planning for now?" Pansy asked.

"I think so. McGonagall approved everything. Flitwick said he'd sponsor. Oh, we need to advertise."

"I can make flyers."

"If you're sure. What are you going to put on them?"

"Big gay Slytherin and tiny bisexual Gryffindor are starting a club so you baby gays can be okay."

Ginny gave her a Look. "Who told you I was bi?"

"You just did," Pansy said, grinning. "But I get it if you don't want your business in the streets. Don't worry about me outing you."

"...thanks. How are you going to make the flyers?"

"I can draw."

"Really?"

Pansy pulled a large notebook out of her bag and pushed it toward Ginny. "Take a look."

There peace and quiet was interrupted at that moment by a few third years thundering through the library, and Madame Pince fussing after them.

"The classroom nearest Transfiguration is empty around now. McGonagall lets the tutors use it - but they should be done by now," Ginny said. "We can go study...if you want."

Pansy nodded, and to Ginny surprise, smiled. "Sure."

* * *

December

It took a while, but when Christmas break rolled around, posters had gone up and the whispers had started. Curiosity, scorn, and general puzzlement were the most frequent emotion, but a few of the younger students had quietly passed notes of thanks to both of them, and expressed excitement for the coming term. Pansy strolled the halls the day everyone left for Christmas, wondering what on earth she was going to do to occupy herself for three weeks until people came back. Not that she had a lot of friends around Hogwarts, but she was used to more interaction these days. So she was surprised and pleased when she walked into the Great Hall for breakfast, and saw Ginny sitting at the one table with the few others who had stayed.

"Weasley," she said, sitting across from her.

"Parkinson."

They ate in silence for a while, but Pansy's curiosity got the better of her. "Weas - Ginny? What in Merlin's name are you doing here?" she finally asked.

"Eating breakfast."

Pansy smirked. She didn't know if Ginny's sense of humor had always been this sarcastic and petty, or if it was an after effect of the war, but it was great. "And you're eating breakfast here in the Great Hall, rather than at your house, because…?"

"What's the number one thing people do when they make it through a war?"

"Therapy?"

"That too - but I was referring to making babies. Literally all of my family is married, and some of them are pregnant already. Not to sound like an awful person, but that's not my life right now. I can't handle a full month of it. I'm Flooing in for Christmas day, and coming right back."

"Seems like your family would have insisted."

"Oh, I knew they were going to. Which is why I asked Slughorn and Flitwick for extra homework over the holidays."

"...you...you don't miss them? Your family, I mean."

"I do, but…. I wanted quiet. I've wanted quiet since...everything. But I had to be paraded in front of the Ministry as Harry's girlfriend for half the summer. And then the Prophet decided to crucify me after we broke up. I just want a little time to myself."

"I get it," Pansy said, recalling all of the articles calling Ginny a slut, and worse.

"What about you? Why did you stay?" Ginny asked gently.

Pansy shifted uncomfortably. But most of the people had left the table, and the first years who were still there were making their paper airplanes fly and not paying them any attention. "I have to. My parents disowned my in May. They stayed on the fence so to speak, and didn't want to associate with a former Death Eater."

"I'm sorry," Ginny said. "That's...I can't even imagine that. Are you...do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," Pansy said, shrugging. "It's done. I have to accept it. But if you get tired of being alone, let's be alone together."

Ginny grinned. "Sounds like a plan. You can help me with all of this homework I stupidly asked for."

"And we can figure out what the hell we're going to do with all of these babies who suddenly love us."

"Let's figure that out first. Meet you in the Prefects' Reading Room in about an hour?" Ginny suggested as she stood to leave.

"You're on."

* * *

January

They were hiding in a disused classroom, practicing their NEWT-level charms. As they practiced, they discussed the upcoming meeting.

"Do you think this is going to work?" Pansy asked. "I mean, our Houses have already called a cease-fire since we've started working together."

"I don't really think of it as working or not working," Ginny said. "I think we're going to see a few people, and it'll grow from there next year when we're gone."

"Bollocks, we're about to break curfew," Pansy said.

"Like they're going to tell us off."

"I do believe we've switched personalities?"

Ginny laughed, and smiled when Pansy took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"See you tomorrow, Weasley."

* * *

March

"So… who wants to start today?"

They had decided on two meetings per month. The first two in January had been packed - thirty people each meeting. But they'd been filled with the curious and the...disrespectful. Pansy had seen to that quickly, and the students who had come with ill intent hadn't come back twice. By the fourth meeting, at the end of February, they'd actually formed a nice little group. And now, by the end of March, they had a routine. They kept it informal, but at the start of each meeting they made sure to check in with how everyone was doing.

A tiny second year raised his hand. "Um...I'll start."

"Go ahead, Martin," Ginny said encouragingly.

"I'm happy this week because I stood up to Kellan," Martin said. He blushed and smiled at his shoes when Pansy gave him a thumbs up.

"What happened?" a fourth year named Imogen asked excitedly. Martin's issues with an older Ravenclaw had been a topic of concern from the very first meeting.

"I...er… sort of told him to go…."

Half of the group looked horrified, and the other half (Pansy included) were laughing at the graphic cursing that came from the twelve-year-old's mouth.

"And he sort of stood there looking confused. But he hasn't bothered me since."

"Well…" Ginny said. "That's one way to do it. I'm glad he's left you alone."

The rest of the group shared their struggles, their concerns, and their weekly triumphs. Pansy sat back listening, and giving encouragement at intervals. She generally let Ginny run the show. It was mostly just a safe space to talk, but she still felt odd giving advice.

When the meeting ended, Ginny hung back with Pansy to help reorganize the room. She leaned against the table when they were done. "I think they're enjoying it."

"McGonagall definitely is," Pansy said. "She smiled at me yesterday. Smiled, Weasley."

"The apocalypse is surely nigh," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

"Are you leaving for Easter?" Pansy asked. It would've been a nonchalant question, but Ginny saw right through it.

"Do you want me to stay?" she asked. They'd been spending so much time together, and due to the new club they were running, rumors had started about them dating. And the fact that neither of them had bothered to squash those rumors was...something they weren't addressing.

"Of course. But I know your family misses you, and you miss them," Pansy said, looking down. "It's fine."

"Pansy," Ginny said, taking a step closer and taking her hand.

"Really," Pansy said, smiling. "I shouldn't be so codependent on you. I can be alone for a weekend."

* * *

April

Ginny snorted back a laugh when she spotted Pansy's owl on the windowsill. The older girl's first letter had started off, "I lied - I can't be alone for a weekend. This isn't healthy, but I miss you. There, I said it. Or, rather, I wrote it. Sorry if this is weird - I don't normally talk about what I'm feeling." After that, they'd written to each other daily. Now, Sunday, Ginny took the letter from the owl and wandered downstairs for breakfast.

"Morning, Ginny!" Harry said brightly. He stood and pulled the chair out for her.

Ginny pointedly ignored the tiny smiles of the rest of her family, and tried not to sigh. The plot to get her and Harry back together had been apparent from the minute she'd walked into the house that Thursday night. She was going to have to talk to him.

"What's that, Ginny?" Molly asked, nodding to the letter in Ginny's hand.

"Oh! It's a letter."

"You've been quite popular this break," Molly said, passing Ginny a glass of pumpkin juice.

Ginny fixed her plate and thought carefully about that statement. "It's Pansy. We've been talking about the club."

"Hm."

Breakfast was pleasant enough - George kept them all entertained with tales of disaster from his development lab. Harry kept trying to engage Ginny in conversation, which Ginny responded to politely, but shortly. When the dishes were done, she headed out into the garden to read her letter. She settled into a chair and made sure no one (Harry) had followed her before opening the parchment.

Ginny,

I took your advice and wrote to my parents. I haven't heard back yet, but I'm not sure if I will at all. I was wondering if you'd like to go to Hogsmeade with me in a few weeks. We've been faux-dating for a few months… shall we make it official? If not, we can pretend this letter didn't happen. Really - I'm good at blocking out the past. I hope your Easter is going well. You have to share your chocolate with me when you get back! - Pansy

"Ginny?"

She'd been staring at the line about the date, and hadn't even notice Harry walk over. "Oh...hi Harry. How's Auror training going?"

"It's great. I was...I was hoping we could talk."

Ginny folded the letter and tucked it into her pocket. "I think that's a good idea."

Harry sat next to her on the ground. "Listen...Ginny… I'm sorry about how things turned out between us. I thought… I thought I knew what I wanted after the war. I just wanted to be free I guess - unattached. But I miss you."

"Harry -"

"I know. I know I shouldn't have broken up with you. I should've tried to work things out. But I'm ready now, if you are," he said, giving her a smile.

"I'm not," Ginny said. She looked at him, and saw confusion. She sighed. "Harry...I think we both need to move on. Maybe the breakup wasn't the greatest feeling, but it was probably for the best."

"Is it Pansy?" he asked darkly. "Are you really with her?"

Ginny quirked an eyebrow at him. "How do you even know about those rumors?"

"I hear things. Seamus is still there."

"Well, not that it's any of your business, but yes. Sort of."

"How can you even look at her?" Harry asked, clearly disgusted. "After everything she put Hermione through?"

"I'm not going into this excusing all of her behavior," Ginny said. "We've talked about a lot of things, and that's something that we will talk about."

"I don't get it."

"So, I'm supposed to not date her because of how she bullied Hermione in fourth and fifth year, but I'm supposed to date you after what you stood by and let the Prophet do to me when we broke up?" Ginny snapped. "I spent every day after you walked away wanting to die. Not because I was heartbroken - it was because I couldn't go anywhere without people calling me a bitch, or a slut. Or worse. All you had to do was address the rumors. All you had to do was tell everyone that I didn't cheat on you. But you didn't."

"I'm sorry -"

"You're sorry because you want me back," Ginny said, standing. "But Harry, even if I weren't in this...thing...with Pansy…. We need to move on."

Harry slumped a bit. "Are you sure?"

Ginny remembered how she felt when Pansy admitted she missed her. She remembered how she felt whenever she saw the owl at her window - how she felt when Pansy would take her hand. "I'm sure. This may not be forever, but I need to move forward, not back."

He gave her a sad smile and nodded.

* * *

June

"Explain to me why we're not passing the torch to another Slytherin and Gryffindor?" Pansy asked.

"Because it's not about us anymore," Ginny said. "It's about making sure the club keeps going when we're gone."

"Merlin's tits, you make it sound like we're dying."

"Behave. You ready for today?"

"Meeting your whole family? Not one bit. But I know it has to happen. I have to atone for my sins."

"See you out there. And Pansy? Those graduation robes look great on you."

Pansy grinned at her. "You don't clean up too badly yourself, Weasley. Let's go graduate. If your family lets me live, I have a job to get ready for."


	25. May

_**LbN: I skipped this month in Measure a Year, because I felt it deserved its own slot. Enjoy!**_

Pansy sat back in her chair, stirring honey into her tea. Afternoons out on Saturdays were a privilege reserved for seventh years, and most used the time to visit family. Normally she'd be wandering the halls with Ginny, looking for a quiet spot to study or talk. They had been on a few dates, but mostly they just liked being quiet and comfortable together. But Pansy knew that wouldn't last, couldn't last, and most importantly, shouldn't last, until she took care of this. It was one of the many differences between her and Draco - he'd always been about the details, how to tweak things to work to his advantage in the moment. She could see the big picture. And the big picture of Ginny's and her relationship - which she was scared to even call it that - was that it would come to a screeching halt if she, Pansy, didn't have this little heart to heart.

Hermione walked into the tea room, and spotted her immediately. She gave Pansy a sardonic smile. "Does Ginny know you're here?"

"No. I planned on telling her when I got back to the castle. How is seventh year by correspondence, Granger?"

"Fine," Hermione said curtly. "What is this about?"

"This is about how shit of a classmate I've been for the past six years," Pansy said, and paused, unsure of how to continue.

"I don't disagree," Hermione said.

Pansy shrugged - she'd really had that coming. "Listen...Granger -"

"Weasley," Hermione said, flashing her ring.

"Oh. Right, Ginny told me. Listen, when I asked you here, I figured I would apologize. But now that I'm thinking about it, it doesn't seem like enough. I know I've been awful - I've said and done awful things. For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

Hermione sat quietly, staring coldly at Pansy for a long moment. The waitress walked towards them, but seemed to think better of it. Finally, Hermione leaned forward a bit, folding her arms on the table. "So that's it? You say sorry, I give you my blessing or whatever, and you and Ginny live happily ever after?"

"Not really. I'm actually surprised you didn't hex me out of this chair."

"That makes two of us."

Pansy knew she had to choose her next words carefully. "I don't want you to think I'm doing this to feel better. That's not going to happen anytime soon. And I'm not doing this because I actually expect you to forgive me or anything."

"Then what did you expect?" Hermione asked, sounding genuinely puzzled.

"I don't know. What I do know is that I'm not ready to muck things up with Ginny just yet. I want us to keep going. And that's going to involve probably a lifetime of earning her trust. Because no matter what you, your husband, and Potter think," Pansy added, "Ginny doesn't trust me yet. You have every reason to worry, but you don't need to. I'm not in this to hurt her."

"No, you're in this to use her name to redeem yourself," Hermione said.

And that one got right through Pansy's patience. "Is that what you actually think? You know what? I don't even know why I bothered with this. I really wanted to be able to tell Ginny I tried, you know? But what's the point, when you don't even respect her enough to believe she can look after herself?"

"Respect?" Hermione yelled, and then collected herself when people turned to look at them. "You have some nerve, preaching to me about respect -"

"No. I'm done with your holier-than-thou Gryffindor bullshit," Pansy snapped. "You know Ginny hadn't read the news for over six months? Because she got anxious every time she saw the Prophet. She got so many hate letters, mailed hexes, and outright death threats, that she cancelled her subscription entirely, and McGonagall still has to go through all of her post. When we started dating, she would ask me to censor the news. She has me read it to her, and soften it if they're talking about her. Using her name to redeem myself? How can I, when Potter dumped her publicly and let the entire Wizarding world shit on her for months? She has no 'name' left. And here's my question for you, Granger - where the fuck were you?"

Pansy should've seen it coming, but Hermione was quick. The Gryffindor had picked up her water cup and tossed the liquid in Pansy's face.

"I was on a hunt to find my parents. I would've done something if I could have," Hermione said, standing to leave.

Pansy dried herself with her wand, and sighed as she watched her former classmate stalk out of the tea shop. She left a generous tip for the waitress, and wandered through the town to the Apparation point.

* * *

Ginny was in their favorite library nook, reading a book on remedies for Spattergroit when Pansy found her. The redhead looked up and smiled. "How was your date with Hermione?"

Pansy stopped in her tracks. "Sent you a Patronus, did she?"

"No - Ron owled me. I knew you must be up to something when I couldn't find you at lunch."

Pansy sat across from her, rubbing her arms as if to ward off the cold.

"It's going to take time," Ginny said.

"I know. I think I made it worse, in fact."

Ginny passed her the Advanced Charms, Year Seven book. "Study for the test on Monday. I'll quiz you."

After all of the talking she'd done, Pansy was happy for the quiet.


	26. The Art of Protest

**The Art of Protest, As Written by Albus Potter**

"What?" Albus asked.

The Slytherin Prefect, a wiry boy called Atticus, looked puzzled as the first years just stood in front of the open wall. "What's wrong, Potter?" he asked, concerned at the little boy's disgusted look.

"Why in Merlin's name is our common room password something so bigoted?" Albus asked. "That's completely offensive to Muggleborns."

The Prefect was out of his depth. No one had ever had a problem with passwords before. "Well...that's just how things are, Potter," he sputtered.

"No. Not anymore. I won't say it."

"Good luck getting into the common room by yourself then," Atticus said, rolling his eyes. "Come on in, you have to get to bed."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I won't go in until the password is changed," Albus said, sitting against the wall.

By now, a crowd of older students had gathered in the passageway, and were whispering to each other. A third year by the name of Rigsby smiled, and quietly moved to sit next to Albus.

"What's up, Rigs?" Atticus asked, clearly done with this entire night.

"I'm a halfblood," Rigsby said, nodding at Albus. "I've never said anything because...well, I figured no one would listen. But our passwords are a bit...insensitive."

"It's been years since the war ended," Albus said. "There's no reason to tarnish our House's name by living in the past."

One of the girls sat down next to Albus. And then another student, and another.

Finally, when about ten students were sitting along the wall, Atticus threw up his hands in frustration. "Sleep out here, then!" And with that, he went inside.

* * *

"Al? Al? Albus?"

"Wassat? What?"

Dominique Weasley helped Albus sit up. "Why are you falling asleep on your Charms homework?"

"Didn't get a lot of sleep last night," Albus muttered.

"Why?"

Albus hesitated for a moment. "A few of us… we sort of slept in the hall outside of our common room. We didn't want to go in."

"Why? It's perfectly safe," Dominique said, perplexed.

"It's not that - it's the password." He leaned over and whispered it to his cousin. He was pleased to see his cousin's look of disgust.

"Well, there's no reason to sleep outside!" Dominique said, after a moment. "Hufflepuffs are in the dungeons too."

Which was how the Great Hufflepuff-Slytherin Sleepover began.

* * *

"What?" Molly Weasley asked, offended. "No - you're serious?"

It took three days and roughly five close calls before Dominique and Albus approached their cousin Molly. The Ravenclaw looked at the two boys, and they could see the wheels spinning in her head.

"I'll see about it. If I can't change the password, I'm sure someone else will be able to."

The protesting Slytherins and their Hufflepuff allies gathered around as roughly sixteen Ravenclaws had a go at changing the password. Student after student walked up to the blank stretch of wall and muttered and poked at it with their wands. Various magical texts were piled messily in one corner, and the students who weren't trying to change the password were reading and calling out tips every once in awhile.

"Oi! Albus, what's going on?" James asked, strolling around the corner. "Lucy told me you were up to something."

"They're trying to change the password to our common room," Albus said absently. "The password is utterly offensive. We've refused to say it."

"What is it?"

Dominique whispered it to him, and watched as James turned red.

"That's outrageous! That's heinous! I'm going to speak to Professor Quincey right now!" And with that, the Gryffindor executed the most perfect of storm-outs.

There was silence in the hall for a lengthy moment after he left.

"Please," Molly Weasley said. "Someone tell me you thought to actually talk to your head of House before this."

The password was changed the next day. And Slytherin House agreed not to let first years plan protests from then on.


	27. Destined

**Destined**

I stepped out of the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron and grinned when I saw her. It had taken me the entire month of July to get out of the house - side effects of the war - but my parents had relented the day before.

"You are a lifesaver," I said, hugging Tonks. I pulled away quickly, trying hard not to melt, or blush.

"Happy birthday! I know you must've been going mad this summer," she said.

"So what are we doing today?" I asked as we made our way into Diagon Alley.

"According to the Powers That Be -"

"Mum," I grumbled.

"- I have to have you back in an hour." She threw an arm around me as we walked. "So I thought we'd get ice cream."

"Sounds great."

Elia Fortescue had taken over her father's shop shortly after the War ended. She'd redecorated the place, and it was helping my brothers' shop brighten up Diagon Alley. She waved to us as we walked in, and hopped down off of the short ladder to help us.

"Ladies! What can I get for you today?"

"Peanut butter - strawberry jam," Tonks said brightly.

I gave her a look of abject horror. "Is this more of your American nonsense again?"

"One day, I'll get you to come around to American snacks," she said, squeezing me into a gentle hug.

"Was that where you were over the summer, Tonks?" Elia asked, passing her an ice cream cone.

"For about a month," Tonks said. "What are you getting, Ginny?"

"Chocolate with marshmallows," I said. "Thanks, Elia."

Tonks paid, and we sat down in the warm air of the new patio. I didn't know if it was being cooped up in the house for the entire summer, the fact that this was the first time I'd seen Tonks in a bit, or just me being a randy teenager...but I couldn't stop staring at Tonks. I managed to pull myself together enough to not make my crush completely obvious. At least I hoped so….

"So!" Tonks said. "What are your plans for this year?"

"Hermione's going to be at Hogwarts, so I'm feeling better about going back."

Tonks grinned. "A little birdie told me that that row was one for the ages."

"Mum wants me to finish my education," I said, shrugging. "It's fine now. And tell George to quit running the gossip column."

"How else was I supposed to entertain myself while I was away?" she asked.

"Take in the sights? Play board games? Prank the President of the Congress of Magic?" I suggested. I laughed when she gave me a Look.

"Here," she said, scooping some of her ice cream onto her spoon. "Try it."

"Oh no! Don't even think about it."

"Come on! It's just a little bit. It's delicious!"

"It's an abomination."

"You're so dramat - Ginny, get down!"

I must not have been as over my War paranoia as I thought, because I dove to the ground and took out my wand immediately. Spells exploded around me, but through the lights and smoke and debris, I could see Tonks dueling a few Death Eaters. I jumped up and shot a few hexes at the one closest to me.

That got the Death Eater's attention, and he turned his attention to me fully. But I was ready, and moved to the side as he tried to curse me. I managed to Stun him and relaxed slightly.

That's when Tonks tackled me. As the two of us fell to the ground, I saw a bright green jet of light fly over us.

"Eyes open, girl. I can't protect you all the time," she said, still smiling. Her hair turned bright red as she stood back up to rush back into the fight.

I lay on the ground, shocked at my brush with death, but also a little woozy from having Tonks so close to me. I shook my head, remembering that we were literally being attacked at that moment. I shot two spells at another Death Eater, who had come out of nowhere. He shot a spell at the sign over my head, and I had to dive out of the way. This put me closer to Tonks, and in full view of the Death Eater she hadn't seen standing behind her. He obviously hadn't counted on me, and I jinxed him, and followed it up with a quick Stunning spell.

Tonks turned from where she'd taken the last two out, and gave me a shocked look, figuring out what had just happened.

"Eyes open, girl," I said, panting. "I can't protect you all the time."

Despite the carnage around us, Tonks's hair turned bright pink, and she laughed.

* * *

"And that," Ginny said, raising her glass, "is when I knew Tonks and I were destined to be together."

The crowd of family and friends all laughed and applauded. The two brides grinned at each other. Tonks's hair turned fiery red to match Ginny's as she leaned down to kiss her.

"We want to thank all of you for being here on our special day," Ginny said. "We love you all. Let's party!"

"Cheers!"


	28. Holiday Stress (GinnyxTonks)

Ginny bit her lip, trying not to worry about the upcoming holiday. She took a few deep breaths, and smiled when she smelled the bath foam wafting in from the bathroom. She could hear Tonks singing to their daughter, Sparrow, as they went through the nightly bathtime routine. Things had been so hectic. Teddy would be coming back from Hogwarts for Christmas the next day, and two days from now the entire Weasley-Potter-Granger-Tonks clan would be descending on their manor for Christmas. Between their jobs, the adoption going through, getting Teddy ready for his first year at Hogwarts, settling Sparrow in, and planning this Christmas break, she and Tonks had hardly had time to talk to each other.

"Tell Mummy goodnight."

Ginny turned and smiled as Tonks passed their daughter to her. "Did Mama lose you in the bubbles tonight?"

"Yes!"

"I did not," Tonks said, grinning at the pair of them.

"Did!" Sparrow said, snuggling against Ginny.

Ginny kissed the four-year-old on her head and walked with Tonks to the girl's bedroom. They tucked her into bed and waited just outside of her room until they heard tiny snores.

Tonks took her hand and nodded to the bedroom.

"I have to finish the dishes," Ginny said.

"No you don't," Tonks told her. "I put all of the pots are on the drying mat, and I'll finish the rest in the morning."

Ginny smiled and allowed Tonks to lead her into their room. Snuggled up with her a few minutes later, she finally felt herself relax for the first time in weeks.

Tonks rubbed her back as they rested together. "It's going to be okay."

"Hmmm?" Ginny asked, already wrapped in the warm pink glow of impending sleep.

"It's going to be okay. We have enough space, enough food, and everything's going to be great. It will be great to have the family here for the holiday. Don't worry, okay?"

Ginny smiled into Tonks's shoulder and gave her a small kiss. "Okay."


	29. The Librarian

Madam Pince marched through the maze of bookshelves, intent on finding the culprit. It had been two weeks. Two weeks of finding books out after reshelving. Two weeks of finding snack wrappers in secluded places of the library. Two weeks of someone - some student - hanging out in the library after dark.

"Ah ha!" she shrieked, spotting sneakers sticking out from behind a table. She stopped when she saw the tiny boy she'd startled from sleep.

"Whoosit? What's happened?" he asked, looking around madly.

Madam Pince knelt beside the young Hufflepuff and put a calming hand on his shoulder. She took in the dark red curls and freckles, and the familiar facial features that were a slightly darker complexion than those of his family members. "Easy, Mr. Weasley. What, exactly, are you doing sleeping in my library?" she asked, eyeing the blanket and snack wrappers.

"I have to keep studying. I'm sorry about the papers - I'll do better clearing up," Freddie said.

"Mr. Weasley, you have to sleep in your own dormitory," Pince said, helping the first-year stand up.

"But I need the library! It's the only place I can study. I have to keep studying -"

"Easy, Mr. Weasley. If you're having troubles with your schoolwork, you just have to ask. You look like you haven't slept in a week. Why do you feel you need to keep going to the point of exhaustion?"

"I...I don't...I can't read easy like my cousins. I just...the words don't come to me the way they do."

Madam Pince tapped her foot and nodded. "Tell me...do you read the wrong words when you read aloud sometimes?"

"Yes."

"Do your words sometimes seem to move about on the page?"

"Yes," Freddie said, nodding frantically.

"Give me your history of magic book, please, Mr. Weasley."

He fished it out of his bag and handed it over to her. "What is it? Is there something wrong with me? With my book?"

"I believe your mother and father had you in a Muggle primary before Hogwarts?"

"Yes...is my magic stunted?"

"Not at all. But this might be easier to explain in Muggle terms. They call these learning disabilities - specifically, dyslexia. Please read this page to me."

Freddie flushed a bit, but Madam Pince gave his shoulder a friendly squeeze. He looked down, and was shocked to see that each line of text was a different, vibrant color. And the words were looked different - he couldn't put his finger on it, but they were different.

"The colors and spacing of the letters responds to the reader's magical signature," Pince explained. "Please read."

"Andros the Invincible was a celebrated ancient Greek wizard," Freddie read, slowly and quietly at first. His voice picked up a little volume as the words didn't float away, and he gained a little confidence. "He, reportedly, was the only wizard to be able to produce a Patronus the size of a giant - sweet Merlin, I can read!" He whispered the last bit and looked up at her with delighted eyes.

"Indeed you can. The rest of your books, please."

Madam Pince repeated the process on all of Freddie's books, and gave him a stern look. "No more sleeping in the library."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And you will work with me on your words and writing for an hour each week."

"Huh?"

Madam Pince gave him a rare, warm smile. "I understand your struggles, young Mr. Weasley. Some things we can help with charms, but some things take time and practice. An hour - any day of your choosing. I'm here all the time."


End file.
